Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-12-08

fined, and assayed IL is nodded into
bars or bricks of various sizes, of value
running from $110 to $4,000, and
properly stamped. Bars worth $500
to $500, or less. are called Mt the assay
office chicken feed" The stamping
upon the sides of one of them just
come, gave the melt number las; bar
number. 1861; the weight. 2O.7S
ounces; the value, $42S. 40; while on
the top. as verilication. was the as
say office stamp. with the eagle (or
goose" as it is called there) and the
fineness, fine 997l. This chicken
feed" varies in weight from about five
up to thirty-five ounces. The larger
sizes run from twelve to forty pounds in
weight. Many of them are stamped
$4,000 and upward in value. Boxes
of newly stamped bricks containing
$50, 900 to 500, 600 each stood on cars
ready to be trundled to the vaults. On
one car was over $l,500,000. With the
stamp of the assay office upon them,
these bars or bricks arc worth in COM
merce the exact value ut which they
are stamped, and where gold must be
used are preferred in heavy transactions
to any other form of currency. The
vaults of the assay Office contain in this
form of gold alone, nodded there. over
1888. 600. 600. Over 1928, 900. 600 of this
has been received there during the
past three months Such "A large
amount of treasure deserves better ac-
commodations.
Among the other curiosities of the
goldroom are the two alleged bars of
gold which old Capt Richardson some
months ago got from couple Of sup
posed Californians for 81. 000 They
proved to be pure copper without even
veneering of gold. If the old captain
had been as well acquainted with the
precious metals rs he profeSssd to be he
would have discovered the deceit by the
color, while by ''heftine" them atten-
lively he would have found them not
half as heavy rs they should be; the
specific gravity of copper be NC but
1893. while that of gold Is 1873 Capt.
Richardson never came back after his
''god bars"
While the reporter was at the assay
office the interesting process of separ-
ating gold and silver which had been
melted together was under way. The
melt was first granulated by being
cast into water. Then the silver is dis
solved out by being put into Sulphuric
acid and boiled in huge iron kettles
1t is often necessary TO repeat the boil
ing five or ten times before satisfac-
tory result is reached. In this opera
ton the gold is not dissolved, but the
silver dissolves, leaving the gold.
The manner in which gold and silver
are separated from base metals, called
''cupellation, was also i'm progress.
just drachm of weight of the metal
with small particle of lead is placed
in ''cupel,' which is little circular
receptacle made of bone. the shape of
an ordinary wooden Checker" but a
very little larger, and scooped out so as
to contain the metal TO BIO cuppelled.
The cuppels, thirty or forty at time.
are placed in furnace heated by gas
up to fifteen hundred degrees. The
action of the heat and air then oxi-
dies. as it is called the baser metals
and they are absorbed by the porus
cuppel and adhere to the bone, while
the gold and silver remains.
Many of the officers and employees of
the ASSAY office are old men, and gray
locks and silvery boards are In the ma
iority. Some have been there forty
years. Supt Mason has passed through
seven national administrations. and is
now serving in his eighth. He entered
the employ CT the government as
meter and relner, afterward became
an assistant assayer, from which posi-
ton he was promoted to the superin-
tendency. Assayer Herbert G. Torrey
has also long been an officer, and an
efficient one. Supt. Mason was asked
yesterday how his subordinates. who
are constantly handling such large
quantities of precious metals. were re-
sponsble to him. Solely by their
honesty" was Mr.. Mason's reply.
"The superintendent of the vaults is
responsible for his men. But for all
the rest have given bonds. and all l
have to rely upon is my belief that they
are men of thorough integrity.